US warns Iran to stay out of Syria

A huge bomb blast rocked the heart of Damascus yesterday as pressure mounted on the regime, with the world’s largest pan-Islamic bloc poised to suspend Syria over the unrelenting violence.

The US accused Iran of setting up a pro-regime militia in Syria as Washington increasingly ties the prolonging of the conflict – now in its 18th month – to interference by its long-time foe Tehran.

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[Leon Panetta:] “We are seeing a growing presence by Iran and that is of deep concern to us. We do not think that Iran ought to play that role at this moment in time, that’s dangerous … it’s adding to the killing that’s going on in Syria,” he said.